DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1-51 and 95-98 have been withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on October 6, 2025.
Claim Objections
Claim 57 is objected to under 37 CFR 1.75(c) as being in improper form because the dependent claim does not appear to be depending from any other claim. Accordingly, the claim 57 not been further treated on the merits.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 52 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by McCrea et al (US 2017/0014197).
McCrea at al discloses a gripper (100), as illustrated in Figures 1A-6, for connecting a first unit (142a) with a second unit (Motor 1 . . . n) (a force transmitting actuation cable 142 having a distal end connected to link arms 132d, 134d via hub 142a, and a proximal end (not shown) that is operatively connected to at least one of motors (Motor 1 . . . n) of control device 4 – see paragraph [0057]), wherein the first unit comprises a first holding member (118) having a first rotation axis, the gripper comprising a gripping unit (132,134) operable to engage with the first holding member of the first unit, wherein when the gripping unit is engaged (via link arms 132d,134d) with the first holding member of the first unit, the gripping unit restricts the first holding member of the first unit from moving axially with respect to the gripping unit but allows the first holding member of the first unit to rotate around the first rotation axis; and a gear unit comprising a first gear (120) operable to rotate the first holding member of the first unit around the first rotation axis, wherein when the first holding member of the first unit rotates around the first rotation axis, the first holding member of the first unit, the gripping unit and the first gear of the gearing unit move axially with respect to the second unit toward or away from the second unit, thereby connecting the first unit with the second unit.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 90-94 are allowed. The prior art of record neither anticipates nor renders obvious the claimed subject matter of the instant application as a whole either taken alone or in combination. In particular for claim 90, the prior art of record does not teach when one or more gripping members are engaged with a first holding member of a first unit and a second holding member of a second unit, the one or more gripping members restrict axial motion of the first holding member of the first unit relative to the one or more gripping members.
Claims 53-56 and 58-89 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Lemelson, Hanaduka, Grant, Greene, and Albin are cited as being relevant art, because each prior art discloses a gripper comprising a gripping unit and a gear unit.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHEN VU whose telephone number is (571)272-1961. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gene Crawford can be reached at (571) 272-6911. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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STEPHEN VU
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3651
/STEPHEN A VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651
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